Idiom parade marches Dardanelle hallsDARDANELLE — Fourth-graders at the Dardanelle Intermediate School took to the hallways of the Primary School on Friday for an idiom parade. Shawn Hettinga, school counselor, said the idiom parade is an annual event the fourth grade does for kindergarten students through the third grade. Instead of dressing up in Halloween costumes as the K-third students do, the fourth-graders dress as idioms. A few of the idioms included smarty pants, raining...

QC committees discuss OTComing into compliance with the FLSA Overtime Wage Rule Law and departments transferring funds to pay for anticipated overtime expenses dominated the Pope County Quorum Court Personnel and Budget Committee meetings Tuesday. Human Resources Director Donna Ashley told the Personnel Committee that seven employees were looked at to meet the compliancy of the law. She said the purpose of the final overtime rule is to determine whether salaried empl...

Angel Tree kickoffTHE COURIER / Emily Srader The Arkansas Tech College Panhellenic Council teamed up with The Salvation Army to take part in the Angel Tree kick off program Tuesday evening. Members of the greek organizations, Zeta Tau Alpha, Delta Zeta, Phi Mu and Alpha Sigma Tau had a meeting in the Caraway Hall lobby on the Arkansas Tech University campus and picked up their angels from the tree.

Man arrested for 'failure to register'William T. Coffren, 55, a level three sex offender, had his bond set at $10,000 on Monday inside the Pope County Detention Center for failing to register as a sex offender. Coffren was convicted of first degree sexual assault on April 14, 1988, and was also arrested on June 24, 2015, for failure to comply with registration. Coffren was most recently arrested on Oct. 28 by the Russellville Police Department (RPD). According to a police report, ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Man allegedly makes threat with pistolZachariah D. Kelley, 57, was arrested on Oct. 30 after allegedly threatening to kill a woman with a pistol. The Pope County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) arrived on scene after responding to the area of 257 Stark Road in reference to a disturbance with a weapon. Once on scene, the responding officer made contact with the witness, who said the victim told them Kelley had threatened to kill her with a gun. The officer made contact with the victim and ...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Reward offered for burglaryRussellville Police responded to a burglary in progress at approximately 8:15 a.m. Monday near the 600 block of Preston Drive. Upon arrival, officers determined shots were fired and at least one suspect had fled the scene. One male victim suffered minor injuries from shattered glass. The incident is being investigated by detectives at this time. A reward is being offered for information leading to the arrest and conviction of suspects in this ...

Civil Service seeking new membersThe Russellville Civil Service Commission was approved to expand its membership from five to seven members and is looking for candidates. Commission Chair Toni Bachman said the members are looking for those who are interested in joining the commission as well as have an interest in both the police and fire departments. She said she is also seeking diversity in new members. The Russellville City Council voted during its October meeting to appro...

ReImagine RussellvilleRussellville Mayor Randy Horton announced a visioning workshop for ReImagine Russellville 2040, the new comprehensive plan for the Russellville community. The workshop will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday inside City Hall. James Walden, project planner, said the workshop will focus on developing a vision for Russellville's future. "This workshop will be about the planning team listening rather talking. We want to hear from folks in the community abou...

Plans finalized for holiday shopping eventThe Boys & Girls Clubs of the Arkansas River Valley and the volunteer committee of Mistletoe Market is making final plans for the 9th annual Mistletoe Market -- Shop for a Cause -- set for Friday and Saturday Nov. 4 and 5, at the L.V. Williamson Boys & Girls Club, located at 600 E. 16th Street, in Russellville. The holiday shopping event will offer an array of merchants' gift items under one roof - with proceeds benefiting the Boys & Girls Clu...

Police: Man was going to burn trailerSteven R. Easley, 28, is facing terroristic threatening and attempted arson charges after allegedly attempting to burn down a trailer and threatening a man he believed had slept with his wife. Easley, whose bond was set at $7,500 during felony bond hearings on Monday inside the Pope County Detention Center, was arrested by the Atkins Police Department after an officer responded to a call of an arson in progress at approximately 9:03 p.m. on Oc...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSON
simpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Investigation: Highway 124A new section of road connecting Weir Road and State Highway 124, for a widening project that was initially let in 2014, is currently being investigated. The project consists of creating an alignment between Weir Road and State Highway 124 which will ultimately result in a five lane road similar to Highway 7 from Russellville to Dover. A “T” will be included just past a warehouse on State Highway 124. Mike Hays, resident engineer with the Arka...

Atkins board hires teacherATKINS — The Atkins School Board met in a called session last week to hire a math teacher. Superintendent Joe Fisher said the board approved to hire Sheila Villareal as a high school math teacher. Villareal previously worked as a teacher at Johnson County Westside. The next school board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Nov. 7.

City Corporation recommends new board memberAfter an executive session, the board of directors for City Corporation voted during its October meeting to appoint Chuck O'Dell as the nominee for the board. The nomination will have to be confirmed by the Russellville City Council. For the month of September, total combined revenue was $37,000 under budget with combined expenses coming in at $23,000 over budget. Other income was over budget by $5,000. The combined net income for September wa...

Study: Patch could help kids with peanut allergiesWASHINGTON -- A wearable skin patch may help children who are allergic to peanuts by delivering small doses of peanut protein, according to a new study that calls for the therapy to be further explored. The study, published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, found that nearly half of those treated with the Viaskin Peanut patch for one year were able to consumer at least 10 times more peanut protein than they were able to prior ...

Barefield pleads 'not guilty' to murderTyler J. Barefield, 35, entered a "not guilty" plea to capital murder chargers in Pope County Circuit Court on Monday. Barefield is accused of shooting Aaron Brock, 22, and Beau Dewitt, 22, in September at the U-Pull-It Salvage Yard in Russellville. Formal charges were filed in Pope County Circuit Court on Friday. Charges include two counts of capital murder and a charge of deploying a firearm. Pope County Sheriff Investigator Eric Riggs testi...

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BY TRAVIS SIMPSONsimpson@couriernews.comThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley

Fatality on interstateAt approximately 3:10 a.m. Sunday, a wreck involving a vehicle and a pedestrian occurred in the westbound lane on U.S. Interstate 40 at the 116-mile marker in Conway County leaving one dead. The vehicle, an International tractor trailer, was traveling westbound on I-40 in the right lane when it struck a pedestrian who was standing on the center line, according to a police report. The pedestrian, identified as 33-year-old Brian D. Flud of Londo...

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COURIER STAFF REPORTSThe Courier Your Messenger For The River Valley